2008 40 Under 40 Honoree: Dave Snider

He stumbled into meteorology, and he definitely didn’t plan on being in broadcasting.

As a high school senior, Snider began evaluating his careers options. He knew he liked being outside and watching the weather. He liked to fly, too, but decided against going into the military.

So he combined his interests by majoring in aeronautics with a concentration in meteorology at Parks College of St. Louis University.

Snider’s original plan had been to be a behind-the-scenes weather guy, perhaps in a job for the National Weather Service. In the mid-1990s, however, the service wasn’t hiring. An internship at a local TV station led him on air.

“Those guys were having a big time, and I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll try that,’” Snider says.

He sent out tapes, but no one called until he was just days shy of beginning a banking career. A station in western Colorado about 30 miles from the Utah border called Snider and interviewed him over the phone. The job was his, if he wanted to make the drive.

Ever since, he’s been in the driver’s seat of a TV meteorologist career.

Before a stopover in Raleigh, N.C., Snider returned to his native Missouri in July 2005 to work at KY3. Moving to Springfield was “a very welcome return.” Explaining the science behind weather, especially to children, is one of his favorite parts of the job.

“If (I) can bring a better understanding of science, I’ve done my job,” Snider says.

Married nearly 13 years, Snider stays involved in the community despite having two sons, ages 5 and 2, and an unpredictable schedule.

Snider volunteers to organize and train weather enthusiasts with rain gauges in 35 Missouri counties through the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow network, which assists the National Weather Service, regional water managers and worldwide researchers in monitoring precipitation. He’s also committed to the Springfield Relay for Life, a cause with meaning for him.

“It is very personal,” he says. “I lost my mother to cancer – breast cancer – and her mother also had breast cancer when it wasn’t OK to talk about a double mastectomy.”

Double Play

Birth date: June 14, 1974

Family: I am a husband of more than 12 years to Mary Helen Schanda, of Kennet. We (met during) many years of United Methodist weeklong church camp in Arcadia … a suburban St. Louis boy and a Missouri bootheel girl. … We have two wonderfully inquisitive and challenging boys, Sam, 5, and Ben, 2.

Philosophy to live/work by: I have the opportunity, normally a few times each day (via KY3’s WeatherPlus), to help someone have an “ah ha!” moment and understand how the weather and natural world around us works. If I can do that for just one person, I’m satisfied.

In a fantasy world, which professional sport would you play? That’s easy: baseball. Baseball is a combination of intelligence, power and science. It’s not just how to hit the ball, but when and where. In all, the complexity is stunning. Yet it’s simple enough for my 5-year-old to pick up a ball and play catch with me in the yard.

Information accurate at the time of the honor.